Chain-link



QNo Model.)

HAIN LINK.

Patented Dec. 5, 189s.-

real

NiTnD- STATES PATENTv OFFICE.

RICHARD A. BREUL, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

CHAIN-LINK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,238, dated December 5, 1893.

Application led April 3, 1893.

serial No. 468,867. (No modell.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.:

Be it known that l, RICHARD A. BREUL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Chain-Links and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a perspective viewof a piece of chain built up from lnyimproved links, made of round metal. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a piece of chain comprising links ofv my improved construction; made of iiat metal. Fig. 3 is a detail view, in plan, of one of my improved round-metallinks. Fig. 4 is a detail view, in plan, of one of my improved iiatmetal links. Fig. 5 is a side view of the link represented in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a side view of the link shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a View of the blank from which the round-metal links are cut. Fig. 8 illustrates the way of bending the straight pieces or'blanks, after the same have been cut, to form the links, lout before the meeting ends have been interlocked to form the nished link;`and Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views, on an enlarged scale, of the notched and interlocking meeting ends of a link, before the ends are sprung together to form a closed loop.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the iigures.

This invention relates to chains of that type in which the links are formed by loops which are interlocked with one another, in contradistinction to the ordinary forms of chains in which the links are welded, and my improvement consists in the novel and specific construction of the interlocking links as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A denotes the blank from which the pieces or sections to form the individual links are cut. This blank may either be round, square or iiat, according to whether it is desired to make a chain of round, square or iiat links. By means of a suitable tool, or suitable machinery, this blank is cut into pieces, B, of the proper length to form links of the desired size,the blank being cut across obliquely so as to form two notches et and a', one at each end, with corresponding dovetailed lips or projections b and b; the dovetailed lip b being formed from the metal left in cutting the notch a, while the other finger or dovetailed projection, b', is similarly formed from or by the metal left in cutting the other notch a.. ltt'ollows from this that there is absolutely no Waste of metal and that the dovetail h will coincide with and tit closely into its dovetailed notch or recess 0 while the other dovetail or hooked finger h will similarly coincide with and t into the other dovetailed notch or recess a. After cutting the blanks, these are bent to form oblong loops, C, a sufficient number of which are assembled and looped together to form a chain of any desired length. As the loops are formed, they are completed by interlocking the notched ends which is done simply by springing them together; the extreme ends of each section B being cut out to form a V- shaped notch e, at one end, with a correspondingly shaped and coinciding wedge-shaped projection d at the opposite end; said registering end notches and projections e and d being in planes at right angles to the interlocking parts a b and a b. The object of the interlocking notches e and V -shaped projections d is to prevent lateral motion of the meeting ends of the link or loop after these have been sprung together, while the interlocking dovetails a b and a. b will resist strain or tension in a longitudinal direction; so that after the chain has been formed yby assembling the links or loops and springing them together, it will be impossible for them to be pulled apart without rupture of the metal or other material from which the chain is built up. The shape of the interlocking dovetails is such, as will be clearly seen by reference to the drawings, that the greater the strain to which the chain is subjected, the rmer will the ldovetails a b and a b grip and interlock with one another; the interlocking notch e and projection d effectually preventing lateral motion and disengagement of the notched and interlocking meeting ends of the individual links. p

It will be obvious that a chain of this character may be made from links which are round, square, or rectangular in cross-section; the shape and arrangement of the interlocking notches a, a and e with the dovetails bband d being the same in all cases. If the individual links are made fiat, from blanks cut from thin dat strips of metal, it may be desirable to reinforce the notched and inter locking ends by making these parts thicker; as shown atfin Figs. 2 and 4, but this is not necessaryin round links of the ordinary type.

In order to bring the notched ends of the links together and permanently interlock them in the manner described, the metal of which they are made, viz: spring steel, must be tempered and annealed so as to give it sufcient spring, or elasticity and resiliency, to snap orspring the notched parts together in connectingthe links to form a chain. It requires considerable pressure to do this, and it is accomplished by machinery designed by me for that express purpose; but afterthe notched and" interlocking ends have been sprung together in this manner, as illustrated on the drawings showing the finished link, theends cannot possibly come apart, and no soldering or brazing is required `in order to make the closing complete. At the same time, if desired, the notched joint may be covered with solder, or the whole link'may be galvanized, tinned over, or nickel-plated, so as to conceal the joint from View.

I am aware that chain linkshave been made before with interlocking meeting ends, as shown foreXample, intheexpired patent to Frazer, No. 35,150, dated May 6, 1862, and patent to Kampf, No. 206,335, dated July 23,1878; but none of these patents show the auxiliary laterallyinterlocking dovetails-d and e, which constitute an important andessential feature of myimprovement. In the absence of means for preventing such lateral motion or displacement the chain is liable to be accidentally severed by lateral pressure-a drawback which is entirely overcome by using links of my improved construction.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States--V The chain link herein shown and described cut outon its innersides near the meeting ends to form dovetailed notches a, a', corresponding dovetailed projections b, b', interlocking,withone'anothelg a notch c on one of said ends, a V-shapedprojection d, at the inner end of notch ct', interlocking therewith in a plane atright angles to the notches@ aand projections b, b', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.`

Intestimony that Iclaim the foregoing as myown I have hereunto alixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARICHARD A. BREUL.

Witnesses:

AUGUST PETERSON, BENNETT S; JONES. 

